Johnny Dawkins

Johnny Dawkins has been a familiar face in the basketball world for several decades. As a student at Duke University, he set a career scoring record, was a two-time consensus All-American, and was the recipient of the Naismith National Player of the Year award in 1986. After college, he played professionally in the NBA for nine years, where he maintained a career average of 11.1 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds. The overall number ten draft pick by the San Antonio Spurs, Dawkins also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. After retiring, he transitioned into coaching, joining the Duke coaching staff before eventually assuming the role of head coach for Stanford and later, the University of Central Florida's (UCF) men's basketball team.

Under Dawkins' leadership, both Stanford and UCF experienced significant success. During his tenure at Stanford, Dawkins led the team to four 20-win seasons and produced a number of players who went on to be selected in the NBA Draft. His coaching career at UCF has been equally successful, with Dawkins securing a number of victories against ranked opponents, leading the team to their first NCAA Championship tournament, and producing UCF's first lottery pick in the NBA Draft.

One of the most decorated players in Duke history, Dawkins was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. He is regarded as a key early figure in the program's ascent to becoming a national power. He serves on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors.